AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot can be thought of as generalized, multi-purpose AI tools. 

Here are some ways that you can use generalized AI tools to help with your research:

Use AI to explore a topic

Try this: ask for definitions, timelines, more narrow topics, different ways that the topic is studied by different researchers

Watch out for: fact check and find your own sources for any facts or information you will use in your writing

Sample prompt stem: I'm writing a college research paper on (topic). Suggest more narrow topics, or sub-topics I could explore. Describe what academic fields study each sub-topic.

Use AI to develop search terms and strategies

Try this: ask for suggested search terms for finding scholarly sources, ask for suggested databases, ask for suggested search strings and database filters

Watch out for: search strategies suggested by AI tend to work better with commercial search engines than library databases. The goal is to have good search terms and strategies for academic databases, so it make take some trial and error to prompt in a way that is productive and effective for the academic databases you are using.

Sample prompt stem: What are some search terms and search strategies that will help me find academic articles from library databases on (topic)?

Use AI to identify experts relevant to your topic

Try this: ask who the leaders on the topic are, look for individuals and organizations, ask for evidence or qualifications of them being viewed as leaders, ask about what fields or disciplines study your topic

Watch out for: homogenous groups of leaders. It is helpful to ask explicitly for leaders who are women, non-binary, of color, or otherwise under-represented 

Sample prompt stem: Who are the top researchers and organizations working on (topic)? Include notable women and people of color working on this topic? Who are the other stakeholders who have lived experience with this topic?

Use AI to identify significant books on your topic

Try this: ask for popular, influential, top cited books on your topic, ask for evidence or how the AI determined these books were significant

Watch out for: like with experts, AI may reinforce homogenous works

Sample prompt stem: List 5 significant books on (topic). List 5 more significant books on (topic) authored by women and authors of color. List 5 more significant books on (topic) written from non-Western perspectives.

There are several AI tools that specialize in research assistance. Look for rapid changes and updates to this type of AI. For example, Google and OpenAI just recently released powerful research assistants on their paid plans. 

Suggested Tools

These are all free to use, however some require creating an account

Research Rabbit - use this to create maps connecting research papers via the chain of citations

Semantic Scholar - use this to locate scientific literature

Goblin Tools - use this to create a research plan

Paid tools

Scite - Not Free, although they have a free 7 day trial. Use this to research a topic, generate an overview, and locate relevant citations